Take the Plunge!

Lake Stevens

Open Water Swimmers Group Brings Fun to All

By Ellen Hiatt

In Lake Stevens and wondering what to do on New Year’s Day? Jump in the lake! You’ll be in good company as the Lake Stevens Open Water Swimmers are taking a chilly dip for their annual Polar Bear Plunge.

The sandy bottom at Lundeen Park on the lake’s northern point allows swimmers to tip toe out into the water.

“You don’t want to jump into the water,” said Devin Schildt, a member of the swimmers group. “Even seasoned swimming veterans don’t do that. You don’t want to shock the system.”

From fall through spring the group meets up at Lundeen Park at 8:30 a.m. every Saturday, and again Tuesdays at 4 o’clock in the afternoon at the smaller beach at North Cove Park. Everyone is welcome.

For Hazel Borden, it’s always been a group affair. Hazel already had a long-standing tradition of jumping in the lake to kick off the new year. From her lakeside dock, she and friends would start every year by freezing their swimsuit clad bodies in the frigid temperatures of Lake Stevens. In January, the temperatures here drop frequently to 40 degrees, and the water isn’t any warmer.

Hazel and her husband Casey, both triathletes, formed a Facebook group, “Lake Stevens Open Water Swimmers,” to get athletes together during the pandemic-forced isolation.

It turns out, more than a few athletes were stuck without their gyms, and the communities they built around their workouts.

If jumping in frigid water sounds like fun to you (there are reported health benefits, as well), then join the crew.

The New Year Polar Bear Plunge has moved from Hazel’s dock to the public beach at Lundeen Park, where the swimming group meets.

“Most folks are wise enough to not get in 40 degree water,” said Devin. Hazel and Devin build off each other’s excitement, sharing the joys of open water swimming and the people who join them for the thrill, any time of year.

“That’s where you get the adventurous people who want to try!” Hazel retorted energetically.

The group takes safety very seriously, though, and provides advice, a warming tent, and some good hot cocoa for a reward at the end.

The Polar Bear Plunge is just one of many traditions the group has. Swimming the perimeter of the lake is a challenge that some of them take on with gusto. It’s just over six miles to circumnavigate Lake Stevens by water. So, it’s only fitting that if you take on swimming the lake’s perimeter, somebody should at least ring a cowbell.

Andrea Duerr welcomes the swimmers at the brewery she co-owns, Lake Stevens Brewing located downtown on Grade Road. An athlete, she has joined the fun. But, she has decided, swimming isn’t her jam. She’s not adventurous enough to circumnavigate the lake, she said. And she only joined the crew a few times.

“Swimming is not my thing, per se, all the time!”

“I’m not a ‘swim the perimeter’ type. But it’s pretty fun. And they always give new people a new swim cap,” she added.

Open Water Swimmers find freedom in the vastness of the lake. The lake itself has an area of more than a thousand acres, the largest natural lake in Snohomish County. It’s also the deepest — as deep as 150 feet in some places. So, swimming its perimeter is no easy feat. The challenge can be daunting to even experienced swimmers.

Devin recalled swimming with a new member of the group, who was an experienced swimmer but had never swam open water before.

“She was totally trembling. She was scared to jump in,” he said. “She was a grown woman, and I am a grown man, but I took her hand, and we jumped in together. She swam a mile. It takes a village. It takes all of us to be that encouraging for all of us to take the next step.”

“Absolutely,” Hazel responded.

Part of that village is people like Andrea. She may not want to swim the perimeter, but she’s happy to jump in the kayak and serve as a “spotter,” paddling alongside a swimmer headed out into the open water or around the lake’s edge.

The swimmers are a fun group, she said, with moms swimming and pulling their little ones in a raft behind them, cowbells ringing, and a clear air of support and encouragement.

The group has about 430 members total, with around 120 of them showing up at any point throughout the year. Most swims see about 20 people in the water. The Polar Bear Plunge on the first day of every year draws a much larger crowd, though.

“We see a spike in participation when we do silly things, like costume swims for Halloween, or the Polar Bear Plunge,” Hazel said. “That’s when we have close to 100 people.”

The events, she said, are part of their “communitybased goal.”

“We are a pretty inclusive group, and I would like to add that we really pride ourselves on being a very familyfriendly group. Kids who are eight or even a few years younger swim… moms who put kids in rafts and pull them behind.”

Of course, there is also a “most improved award,” which usually goes to someone who swam the 2,100 yards from North Cove to the point, returning to North Cove Park’s dock.

“Lake Stevens is an incredibly active outdoor community,” Devin said. “There is always a paddle boarder, walkers, runners, cyclists. There are two different running clubs. Unfortunately, it creates a backlog at the brewery to get a beer. It gets a little busy with us! Us athletes… we get a little parched.”

That may be an excuse, but let them have it. Lake Stevens Brewing (lakestevensbrewingco.com) is a low-key place, serving up good brews to visitors and locals alike. Pull up a chair, enjoy some conversation and cross the street for one of their many food trucks that pull up to feed the hungry crew.

Swimming does, in fact, whet your appetite. But the appetite here in Lake Stevens is for more than food and beer. It’s for fun and connection — the kind you’ll find jumping in a freezing lake, or lacing up your tennis shoes for the run club that meets every Tuesday at the brewery, or the dedicated crew with the Lake Stevens Rowing Club, (lakestevensrowing.org) a local institution for more than 25 years.

After all, when you come to one of the most beautiful lakes in the region, with a vibrant community of people and businesses, there is no end to the ways you can enjoy yourself.

While you’re here, if you want a free swim cap, a fun community, and a chance to jump into Lake Stevens, check out the group at tinyurl.com/2p85ncxv.